Tag: participation

*Photo credits. *Berlin* Wandmalerei Holzmarktstr 30 (Frhai) Mural 2018 by By Fridolin freudenfett

Extension of Deadline: 19. July 2026

Subject of the Call for Proposals

The subject of this call for proposals is the implementation of a low-threshold participatory process involving members of Berlin’s urban community on the topic of positive visions of the future for a globally just city. The results of the process will then be visualized by one (or more) artist(s) in the form of a mural. In this way, the positive visions of the future contained therein will become visible in public space. Integrated QR codes will provide access to stories and perspectives from Berlin’s urban communities that were developed collaboratively during the participatory processes, documented through audio and video recordings, and uploaded to a digital platform. At the conclusion of the project, the mural will be unveiled at a festive ceremony.

Key Features:

1. While your team carries out the process in Berlin, the same process will take place in Jakarta, Windhoek, and Mexico City.
2. All four murals are to be interwoven through a shared visual-artistic framework. To this end, the four teams will coordinate their efforts through regular online meetings (approximately 6–8 times).

To lay a solid foundation for coordination and the collaborative process, one representative from each team will participate in a 5-day retreat in Jakarta in March/April 2027. During this retreat, key content-related and artistic parameters for the design of the murals and the digital platform will be agreed upon. This will also involve the further development of a common thematic thread that ensures all murals are interconnected while simultaneously reflecting their respective local contexts.

Project Objectives

The project “Sister Cities in Public Spaces: 4 Cities, 4 Murals, and Many Possibilities for a Globally Just City” pursues the following goals:

1. Strengthen transnational networking and the visibility of sister city partnerships.
2. Develop and promote citizen participation and positive collective visions for a globally just city.
3. Create a mural that visualizes the results of citizen participation and makes them publicly visible.
4. Develop content for a digital platform that can be accessed from all four cities (via QR codes) to view the respective murals.

Expected Outcomes

The freelance professional(s) responsible for the design, implementation, and documentation of the citizen participation process are expected to:

• Design, implement, and document the participation process with citizens of Berlin’s urban community (expected to take 2–3 workshop days) in close coordination with the Sister Cities in Action team and the overall coordinator
• Management of grant funds, including monitoring, accounting, preparation of expense reports, and contributing to status reports.
• Participation in 6–8 online meetings (approx. 2 hours) as well as a willingness to collaborate with four teams across the four cities and coordinate within an international project environment.
• Assistance in finding a suitable location for the mural.
• Coordinating the audio and video documentation of the participatory process for the digital platform.
• Helping to organize the opening ceremony for the unveiling of the mural.
• A prerequisite for applying is that one person from the team be able to attend the 5-day retreat in Jakarta.
• Ideally, you already know each other as a team and have gained experience working together.

The freelance artist(s) responsible for the artistic design and creation of a mural in a public space, based on the results of the participatory process, are expected to:

• Participate in or facilitate the participatory process with members of Berlin’s urban community.
• Designing a mural based on the workshop results, in close coordination with the Sister Cities in Action team and the overall coordinator
• Assisting in the search for a suitable location for the mural
• Participating in 6–8 online meetings (approx. 2 hours each) and being open to collaborating with four teams in four cities and coordinating within an international project environment.
• A prerequisite for applying is that one person from the team be able to attend the five-day retreat in Jakarta.
• Ideally, you already know each other as a team and have gained some experience working together.

Workload and Resources

The planned scope of work for the design, implementation, and documentation of the participatory process is approximately 400 working hours (based on the State of Berlin’s fee schedule). The 5-day retreat in Jakarta is not included in this estimate. Travel expenses, including airfare and lodging, will be covered, and a meal allowance will be provided.
The planned scope of work for the artistic design of a mural in a public space based on the results of the participatory process is approximately 250 working hours (based on the State of Berlin’s fee schedule). The 5-day retreat in Jakarta is not included in this estimate. Travel expenses, including flight, accomodation and meal allowance will be provided.

Available budget:

• Fee Budget (for all contractors in total): €24,500
• Material costs (mural production): €5,000
  
  Alternative proposals regarding the scope or the allocation between fee and material costs are possible, provided they are supported by a professionally sound justification.

Deliverables

• Plan for conducting the participatory process
• Documentation of the participatory process in the form of audio and video recordings for the digital platform.
• Drafts and final version of the mural
• Execution of the mural in a public space
• Reporting with complete documentation of all expenses (lists of receipts and corresponding supporting documents)
• Contributions to the interim and final reports.

Requirements for the Contractor’s Team

• Proven experience in designing and implementing participatory processes
• Proven experience in the artistic design and creation of a mural, or comparable qualifications.
• Experience in managing grant funds.
• Expertise in the field of urban development and urban policy debates in the context of the Right to the City and/or globally just cities.
• Familiarity with working in international structures/teams (taking into account different work styles, time zones, and any language barriers that may arise)
• Ideally, experience collaborating with international partner organizations in the Global South (preferred)
• Very good English and good German skills (required)
• Knowledge of Spanish and/or Indonesian (preferred)

Timeframe

• Call for proposals and selection: Mid-July 2026
• Preparations and first two digital meetings (approx. 2 hours): July–October 2026
• Concept development and planning of the participatory process: November 2026–March 2027
• Retreat in Jakarta: March/April 2027
• Implementation and documentation of the participatory process: May–July 2027
• Design and production of the mural: August–November 2027
• Opening ceremony: tentatively November/December 2027
• Preparation of supporting documentation (financial statements and report): Jan–Feb 2028

Documents to Be Submitted

Interested teams are asked to submit the following documents:

1. A brief outline of a participatory process (max. 1–2 pages)
2. A description of relevant qualifications and references
3. If applicable, a description of existing networks in Berlin neighborhoods/districts
4. Cost estimate
5. Information on possible additional services

Questions and Submission of Proposals

If you have any questions regarding the call for proposals, please contact Rosa López. Proposals must be submitted by email to sister-cities@eineweltstadt.berlin by July 19, 2026.

Fundings

This project is made possible by funding from the Lotto Foundation Berlin.

*Photo credits from left to right: *Windhoek* by @sister_cities_in_action Stakeholder Meeting Okt 2025, *Mexico City* Los Metzican *Berlin* Wandmalerei Holzmarktstr 30 (Frhai) Mural 2018 by By Fridolin freudenfett *Jakarta* by @darbotz